Board Games
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Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 ESL Resources
All rights reserved
Important Copyright and Photocopy Permission Information
There seems to be more demand for ESL services and less money for books! Its not easy to be an ESL
teacher without photocopying books. ESL Resources recognizes this and provides ESL teachers with a
relatively cheap source of legally reproducible books. For $25 - $50 purchasing teachers get an ESL
book with a photocopy license. This is often less than 50 cents per reproducible page. Each book represents hundreds, if not thousands of hours of preparation time. Teachers, how much is your time worth?
ESL Resources has the books - now keep us in business by purchasing our books.
Purchasing Teacher (One Teacher License)
A purchasing teacher is granted permission to photocopy this book for use by his/her students. You
can be an itinerant teacher at several sites or based at one site. Photocopies are not for resale.
Purchasing School (One School/Site License)
If you need a photocopy license for your entire school, it can be arranged for an additional fee. Please
contact me at
[email protected] for further information. Photocopies are not for resale.
FAQ
Q: Can I make a copy for a teacher so she can photocopy from the photocopy for her students?
A: Photocopying from a photocopy of this book is known as a pirate copy and is illegal. Isnt it better
just to purchase the book with a photocopy license for less than $50?
Q: Can I borrow this book from a resource centre or library then photocopy it?
A: No, that would be copyright violation. You only get a photocopy license if you purchase the book or
your school has purchased a site license.
Printed in Canada
ESL Resources
15 Ravina Crescent Toronto Ontario Canada M4J 3L9
416-466-7875 fax 416-466-4383
www.eslresources.com
e-mail [email protected]
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Introduction
Fifty ESL Board Games will get your students practising their English skills. The games have
been designed to reinforce concepts, vocabulary and structures that have been taught in the
ESL classroom. Students will be motivated to play them as they are both fun and relevant to
their real lives. All activities are ready-to-use and appropriate for both children and adults.
Depending on the level of your students you can set higher or lower expectations in each game.
Youll need dice and tokens for most games. Youll want to model the game and the phrases and
structures your students will need. Divide your students into groups and let them get started.
If the students need more practice, go around the board two or three times.
The categories include: Conversation, Vocabulary, Grammar, Spelling, Phonics and Holidays.
Getting Started
Here are some basic rules for board games.
Start at GO.
Students take turns rolling the die.
The student reads the number of dots or number on the die and move their token that
number of spaces.
If the square reads card, pick a card or take a card, they pick up a card.
If there are instructions on the space, follow the instructions.
Other variations for pick a card - if you roll a designated number, take a card, i.e., If you
roll a 3 then take a card.
The first person to reach WIN, FINISH or END is the winner.
To assemble the games boards, photocopy both pages. Cut the right page along the dotted line
and glue to the left page at the dotted line.
Enjoy
Deb Scott
This book is dedicated to my brother Don Scott and my sister-in-law Darlene Acton, with much
love.
About the Author
Deb Scott has taught for 30 years. She is an elementary teacher in Winnipeg, Canada. She has
taught grades 1 to 9 and has had many ESL students in her classes. Deb has also given a
number of EFL in-services to teachers throughout Thailand. This is Debs fourth ESL book.
The other titles include:
Fifty Storyboards - 50 Six Frame Picture Stories - 150 Exercises
Fifty Listening and Speaking Activities
Fifty Reading and Writing Activities
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CONTENTS
CONVERSATION
PAGE
LEVEL
TOPIC
1 Id Like to Order
ordering in a restaurant
food items & how to order
2 Four-In-A-Row Actions
verbs
bingo-style game with verbs
3 Finish the Sentence
I & my sentences
sentence completion
4 Like, Prefer, Favourite
13
B-I
like, prefer, favourites
make sentences
5 Category Words
17
categories
words in a category that begin
with a specific letter
6 Do You Have Enough Money?
21
money & sentences
make a sum to buy something
7 What Time Is It?
27
time & activities
make sentences
8 Tell Me a Word
31
words beginning with a
specific letter
think of a word, use it in a
sentence
9 Trip To The Doctor
35
B-I
health & the doctor
explain health problems
10 All About Me
41
personal information
tell about life, family,
hobbies, etc.
VOCABULARY
PAGE
LEVEL
11 Whats My Sport?
45
B-I
sports
make simple sentences
12 Name That Animal
49
animals
name & describe
13 Do You Wear _____?
53
clothing & accessories
name it & state - wear it or not
14 At School
57
classroom objects
name the object
15 Travelling
61
B-I
methods of travel
make sentences & answer
questions
16 Whats the Weather Like?
65
weather
make weather sentences
17 Fruits & Vegetables
69
fruits & vegetables
put the item in a category
18 Parts Of The Body
73
the human body
name parts of the body
19 Busy Day
77
community & chores
match chores & businesses
20 All Around Town
81
jobs & businesses
match jobs & businesses
TOPIC
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
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GRAMMAR
PAGE
LEVEL
TOPIC
OBJECTIVE
adverbs
use adverbs in sentences
21 Using Adverbs
85
I-A
22 Use It - Adjectives
89
adjectives
use adjectives in sentences
23 Contractions Speedy
Match-Up
93
contractions
use & derivations of common
contractions
24 Past, Present & Future
97
verb tenses
use verb tenses in sentences
25 Show Me Prepositions
101
prepositions
arrange classroom objects
26 Yesterday
105
B-I
past tense
change sentences from
present to past tense
27 Excuses & Reasons
109
excuses & reasons
tell excuses in various tenses
28 Draw It Comparisons
113
comparisons
demonstrate comparison by
drawing a picture
29 Idioms
117
idioms
tell the meaning of idioms
30 Make A Sentence
123
sentences
make sentences using game
cards
TOPIC
OBJECTIVE
SPELLING & PHONICS
PAGE
LEVEL
31 Short Vowel Words
129
short vowel words
read words & make
sentences
32 Long Vowel Words
133
long vowel words
read words & make
sentences
33 Make a Word - 3 in a Row
137
make new words
add letters at the beginning
of word parts
34 Rhyming Words
141
rhyming words
say words that rhyme & use
them in sentences
35 Short Vowels - Spell It
145
short vowel words
students identify & spell
short vowel words
36 Can You Spell It?
151
long vowel words
students identify & spell long
vowel words
37 Blends Match Up
157
B-I
blends & digraphs
make new words by adding
letters to the front of a word
part
38 Homonyms
161
I-A
homonyms
choose a homonym & use it in
a sentence
39 Change The Word
165
B-I
change the word
make a different word by
changing one letter of a word
40 Antonyms
169
B-I
antonyms
say a word that means the
opposite of a word
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HOLIDAYS
PAGE
LEVEL
TOPIC
OBJECTIVE
holidays & months
say the month & holiday
depicted in the picture
41 What Month? What
Holidays
173
42 New Year
177
B-I
New Year Resolutions
make resolution conversations
43 Valentines Day
181
B-I
Valentines Day
True or False board game
44 Mothers Day
185
B-I
Mothers Day
make sentences based on
pictures
45 Fathers Day
189
B-I
Fathers Day
make sentences based on
pictures
46 Summertime
193
B-I
summer activities
use pictures as cues to name
nouns & verbs, & make statements & questions
47 Halloween
197
B-I
Halloween and
prepositions
make a sentence using a noun
& a preposition
48 Labour Day Job
Conversation
201
B-I
jobs
make short Q & A
conversations about jobs
49 Thanksgiving Conversation
205
B-I
Thanksgiving &
thankfulness
make short conversations
about being thankful
50 Christmas
209
B-I
Christmas
identify objects or activities
in pictures & make a
sentence
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Id Like To Order
INTERMEDIATE
TOPIC
ordering in a restaurant
OBJECTIVE
learn food items and order them
TIME NEEDED
20 minutes
GROUPINGS
2 to 4 students
MATERIALS
tokens, a die, 1 set of food cards and a game board
STRUCTURES
I would like to order ____.
I would like to order fries.
Ill have ____.
Ill have fries.
Could you please bring _____?
Could you please bring ketchup?
PRE-TEACHING
review the vocabulary words
practise making sentences to order food in a restaurant
DIRECTIONS
cut out the food cards and place them on the Food Cards square
students roll the die and, 1. answer the question on the square or, 2. order the item that is
pictured on the square or, 3. choose a card and order the item on the card
if they fail to do the task, they return to their previous space
the first person to reach WIN is the winner
VARIATIONS
students specify how they want the food prepared and what to serve with it, e.g., Eggs
over easy with brown toast. Coffee with cream and sugar.
FOLLOWUP ACTIVITY
students work in pairs role playing customer and waiter
ask questions such as what beverage, what condiments etc.
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take 2 cards
take a card
take a card
ROLL
AGAIN
take a card
take a card
take a card
GO
take a card
BACK
take a card
TO GO
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WIN
2
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paste here
FOOD
CARDS
Would
you like
ketchup?
take a card
What
would you
like with
that?
take a card
take a card
cut here
Id like
to order...
take a card
Would
you like
gravy
on it?
take a card
ROLL
AGAIN
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take 2 cards
take a card
take a card
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boiled egg
cake
ice cream
chicken
milk
sandwich
onion rings
hot chocolate
soup
mustard
spaghetti
ketchup
bread
fries
coffee
glass of wine
coffee & a donut
bacon & eggs
pie
nachos
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Four-In-A-Row Actions
TOPIC
verbs
BEGINNER
OBJECTIVE
name common verbs and use them in sentences to win a bingo style game
TIME NEEDED
20 minutes
GROUPINGS
4 students
MATERIALS
one set of verb picture cards for each group, one four-in-a-row card for each student,
bingo chips
STRUCTURES
basic sentences
PRE-TEACHING
review all the verbs used in the pictures
practise making sentences with these words
DIRECTIONS
cut out the picture cards and put them in a pile where all the students can reach them
each student picks a four-in-a-row card
students take turns taking a picture card, saying the word and showing it to all the students
each student must say the word and use it in a sentence before playing their bingo chip
play continues until a player gets four-in-a-row and calls out FOUR-IN-A-ROW
VARIATIONS
students make their sentences in different tenses
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
students work in groups of 6 to 10 and make a different sentence for each verb
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write
lie
climb
ski
wash
swim
jump
run
sit
sleep
carry
read
play
ride
talk
walk
sit
walk
swim
lie
eat
run
ski
read
jump
carry
wash
climb
stand
talk
skate
kick
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wash
lie
write
kick
read
carry
swim
ride
stand
talk
climb
eat
walk
jump
skate
sleep
play
wash
skate
swim
climb
sit
jump
sleep
write
carry
ski
read
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ride
eat
talk
walk
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carry
kick
lie
play
climb
swim
skate
read
eat
talk
run
ride
jump
walk
ski
sit
write
wash
sleep
stand
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Finish The Sentence
TOPIC
I and my sentences
INTERMEDIATE
OBJECTIVE
finish sentence starters
TIME NEEDED
15 minutes
GROUPINGS
2 to 6 students
MATERIALS
tokens, a die, game board, sentence starter sheet
PRE-TEACHING
practise constructing a variety of sentences
practise finishing sentence starters
DIRECTIONS
students roll the die and move
they look at the sentence starter sheet and find the number corresponding to the number
on their space
they must complete the sentence about themselves or return to their previous space
the first student to reach WIN is the winner
VARIATIONS
students make several sentences beginning with the same sentence starter
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
students make up their own sentence starters and trade them with partners
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19
16
7
FREE
SPACE
12
15
ROLL
AGAIN
10
GO
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paste here
14
GO BACK
THREE
cut here
13
11
20
17
18
WIN
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11
FINISH THE SENTENCE
1. Id like to...
11. My favourite song...
2. I really like...
12. My favourite sport...
3. I hate...
13. A TV show I like...
4. Today I want...
14. I want to try...
5. I love...
15. I want to buy...
6. I want to eat...
16. My best friend is...
7. I like to wear...
17. It bugs me when...
8. Im good at...
18. In two years I...
9. Id like to meet...
19. Im scared of...
10. Id like to go...
20. Im happy when...
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Like, Prefer, Favourite
BEGINNER
INTERMEDIATE
TOPIC
favourites
OBJECTIVE
tell about personal preferences
TIME NEEDED
15 minutes
GROUPINGS
2 to 6 students
MATERIALS
tokens, a die, board game, game cards
STRUCTURES
I like _____.
I like melon.
I prefer ____.
I prefer melon.
My favourite ____ is ____.
My favourite fruit is melon.
PRE-TEACHING
practise simple or more complex questions depending on your students
teach the words on the game board and the words for the picture cards
DIRECTIONS
place the cards on the game board face down
students roll the die and move
if they roll a 1, 3 or 5 they make up a sentence about the topic written on the space using
like, prefer, or favourite
if they roll a 2, 4 or 6 take a card and make a sentence about the picture on the card
if they can not do the task, they return to their previous space
the first student to reach WIN is the winner
VARIATIONS
specify whether the sentence should be like, prefer, or favourite
students give reasons for their answers
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
work in pairs and interview each other about favourites, then find a new partner and
compare
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13
fast
food
day
sport
activity
plant
weather
place
movie
drink
season
food
GO
car
TV
show
animal
clothes
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paste here
board
game
holiday
snack
ROLL
subject cartoon
AGAIN
Like, Prefer, Favourite
colour
cut here
book
Picture Cards
GO TO
WIN
WIN
exercise
band
music
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15
hobby
baseball player
fast food
pizza toppings
board game
clothing
basketball player
pastime
bird
indoor sport
BBQ meat
sport
chocolate bar
hot drink
dog
movie
pet
snack
baby animal
zoo animal
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